Bath Symphony Orchestra

Programme to include:

Programme:

Dvorak – Carnival Overture
Suk – Pohadka (Fairy Tale) Op. 16
Brahms – Symphony No 4 in E minor

The Carnival Overture is one of Dvorak’s most popular works. Full of energy, excitement and colour, it depicts the scene as a traveller reaches a city at nightfall and festivities begin.

Josef Suk was not only Dvorak’s star pupil at the Prague Conservatoire, but also his son-in-law. Pohadka (Fairy Tale) is taken from music written for a play based on a Czech folk tale and deserves to be better known for its lush orchestration, sparkling dances and sweeping romantic melodies. This is a rare chance to hear this lovely music.

The programme ends with Brahms' great final Symphony. By turns powerful, delicate, lyrical and restless, it culminates in a huge Passacaglia (variations over a repeating bass line), a gesture both archaic and forward-looking – this was the first time this ancient form was used in a symphony.

Come along to enjoy the big rich sound of a full symphony orchestra, with a mixture of dramatic, passionate and touchingly beautiful music.

The Roper Theatre is a modern concert hall at a school near the centre of Bath, with good acoustics and a clear view for all the audience.